Electrical storage battery.



No. 675,586. Patentodlune 4,190l. W. J.. BUCKLEY. ELEGTBIGAL STORAGEBATTERY.

(Application ld July 5, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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W @i W wir w16/ idf @i lUETTTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIALWI J. BUCKLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL STO RAG E BATTERY.

-EEQLFICATION forming part Letters Patent No. 675,586, dated June 4,1901.

Application filed July 5, 1900. Serial. No. 22,499. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLTAMJ. BUCKLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric StorageBatteries; and I do hereby declare the following` to be a full, clear,and exact description, such as will enable persons skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electric storage batteries, moreparticularly to that class of batteries wherein the active plates orelements are placed in the excitant or electrolyte in such a way thatthe electromotive force of each pair or couple of plates .vill be addedto that of its neighbor and in which the electromotive forces of theassociated couples will be cumulative, such a type of battery beingknown in the art as high-tension, batteries.

The leading object of my invention is to provide a singleliquid-containing receptacle for all of the couples or plates, the saidreceptacle beingl divided by metallic partitions, providing cells insaid receptacle between the said partitions for an electrolyte which isto be contained therein for each couple that is to be placed within thecell thus provided.

A further object of myinvention is to provide such a partition of metal,preferably of such a character as to remain unaffected by the action ofthe electrolyte in which it is immersed, the saidpartition forming partof the electrical continuity of the circuit which includeslthe plate.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a means whereby thesurface of the plate or element farthest removed from its opposingelement when used with an auxiliary partition may be subject to theaction of the electrolyte which is common to both elements.

`With these and other objects in view,which may hereinafter' appear, myinvention consists, broadly, in providing a single liquidreceptaclecommon to all of the elements or couples contained within a battery orseries of cells of a given size, dividing the said receptacle intocompartments or cells by liquidtight partitions, and providing an activeelement or plate having metallic continuity, a

portion of said element being on one side of a given partition and beingsubjected to the electrolytic influence of the liquid in one cell andanother portion of the same plate being subjected to the electrolyticinliuence of the liquid in the neighboring cell forming the op posingelement of another cell, and whereby the electrical continuity from onecell to another is completed through the plate itself.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a plan view of a portion of areceptacle, showing a series of my compound plates andconducting-partitions regularly arranged therein. Fig. 2 is a sectionthrough line 2 2 of Fig. l.

In the figures the same letters of reference are used to indicatesimilar parts.

A represents a box or receptacle that may be of wood properly treated orany other nonconductor of electricity provided with vertical grooves o,extending from top to bottom, placed at regular intervals and cut in theside of the said box, as shown. A similar series of grooves are cut onthe opposite side of the said box. A partition made, preferably, of analloy composed of antimony and lead, which remains unaffected by theelectrolytic action of the electrolyte, is provided at its end withdovetailed extremities b and a short extending tenon', which is as Wideas and is adapted to enter the slot a of the box A. This slot d extendsfrom the top to the bottom of the receptacle or box A. When the metallicpartition B is inserted in the groove CL, a material a', similar in itsnature to pitch, is poured into the groove a for the purpose ofproviding a Water-tight joint between said partition and side of saidbox. By this means a separate compartment or cell is provided betweenthe neighboring partitions, the said compartment being Watertight. Theactive plates or grid 12+ and b are then made, their sides tapering, asshown, and slipped into the place provided between the dovetailedextension b of the partition B. These plates are designated bt and ZT.For the purpose of forcing the active plates if" and b into actualcontact with the conducting-partition B, I use an elastic separator h2,which is inserted between the plate and the metallic partition and whichcon stantly exerts a pressure for the purpose of pressing the saidplates outwardlyand in con- ICO tact with the met-al partition, asshown. This separator may be of metal made resilient, or it may be ofsoft rubber, or any other means than that shown may be employed forpre-v serving the electrical connection between the active plate and theconducting-partition. In this construction ,a seemingly anomalouscondition exists, which is that a conductor immersed inan electrolytejoins the positive plate on the one side with the negative plate on theother, and, further, that a receptacle containing an eleztrolyte foranumber of dif ferent couples that are placed in series therein isdivided into cells by metallic partitions, whereby the electrolytecontained within the several cells composing the said receptacle is notelectrically insulated one from the other.

I have found that the conducting-frame B, which is adapted to hold theactive plate or element, is welladapted to mechanically separate theelectrolyte of the neighboring cells. I therefore have constructed myconductingframe in the manner described and have used it in an effort toeconomize space and weight and for the further purpose of conducting thecurrent from the active element attached thereto and also for providinga partition, as described. The plates or elements when made of propermaterial, such as specified for the partitions, may be used in lieu ofthe partitions provided they are liquid-tight and will effectuallyprevent the mechanical circulation of the electrolyte.

I believe that I am the first to employ a common receptacle for a numberof elements, the electromotive force of which are en mulative, the saidelements being connected in series and located in cells in the saidreceptacle,

said cells being formed by means of metallic partitions inserted in saidreceptacle.

I do not care to be limited to the exact construction shown, as greatvariation may be 'made from that without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

I claim- 1. A hightension battery comprising a receptacle, a positiveand a negative active plate, a metallic partition dividing` saidreceptacle into cells` projections from said partitions for retainingsaid plates, spaces between said partitions and the inside surfaces ofsaid plates, and separators within the said spaces adapted to exert anoutward pressure upon said plates for maintaining said plates inelectric contact with said partitions, substantially as set forth.

2. A high-tension battery comprising a receptacle for an electrolyte,partitions unaffected by the electrochemical action of the battery,dividing said receptacle into cells, projections on the vertical ends ofsaid partitions extending laterally in both directions, forming oneelement of a fastening for the active plates, and active plates adaptedto engage with said fastenings, one plate on each side of each of saidpartitions, substantially as set forth.

In testimonywhereof I have signed this specification, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses, this th day of June, A. D. 1000.

VILLIAM J. BUCKLEY.

lVitnesses:

JAMES K. PUMPELLY,

M. F. ALLEN.

